by Theleaders | August 26, 2026 7:11 pm
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 26 — The Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has unanimously agreed to initiate proceedings into governance, financial, and investment weaknesses at Lembaga Tabung Haji (LTH).
PAC chairman Datuk Wira Mas Ermieyati Samsudin said the decision follows disclosures in the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) report on LTH’s management and operations from 2014 to 2020, which was declassified on July 29.
“The PAC considers the disclosures in the RCI to be very serious and could erode the confidence of Muslims in this country if they are not addressed appropriately,” she said in a statement.
Mas Ermieyati noted that public questions have persisted since the report was debated during a special Dewan Rakyat sitting on August 11.
She affirmed that as a bipartisan Select Committee, the PAC has clear jurisdiction under the Dewan Rakyat Standing Orders, Treasury Instructions, and Prime Minister’s Department administrative circulars to take up the matter.
“At the same time, the PAC wishes to emphasise that these proceedings are not intended to repeat the RCI investigation, which was conducted comprehensively, but will instead focus on the actual status and progress of the implementation of the RCI’s recommendations, in line with the PAC’s core function,” she said.
The formal title, terms of reference, and witness list will be finalised during an upcoming special meeting.
Mas Ermieyati cited the PAC’s proven track record in handling sensitive national inquiries, referencing its 2016 probe into 1MDB, its 2019 investigation into RM19.4 billion in unpaid Goods and Services Tax (GST) refunds, and its 2022 inquiry into the Royal Malaysian Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) procurement, which originated from a 2019 investigation by the Special Investigation Committee on Public Governance, Procurement and Finance (JKSTUPKK).
To ensure transparency and accountability, the PAC will examine the RCI report alongside the Auditor-General’s Report and an independent audit report by PwC to evaluate the management of depositors’ funds.
The PAC’s move aligns with remarks made a day earlier by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who backed having the parliamentary committee examine Tabung Haji’s operations from 2017 to the present.
Speaking after a forum titled “Reality and Perception: Don’t Politicise Tabung Haji,” held in conjunction with Umno’s Musyawarah Nasional, Zahid said an inquiry was necessary to establish the facts surrounding the post-2017 period and correct public misconceptions regarding the fund’s management.
Zahid argued that clean audit certificates issued by the National Audit Department under the Tabung Haji Act 1995 refute allegations of embezzlement.
He added that the PAC, rather than the Cabinet or a second RCI, remains the appropriate statutory body to investigate the matter given its existing oversight powers.
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